Removal of Carcinogenic Hexavalent Chromium by Reduction with Iron in Presence of Accelerator Non Toxic Organic Compounds (Chalcone)

The focus of this work is on Cr, which has two predominant oxidation states of the atmosphere: + â€3, which is an essential nutrient in low doses, and +â€6, which is highly toxic and carcinogenic. We found that, the reduction of Cr6+ to Cr3+ was first order reaction and the rate controlling step is the diffusion of (Cr6+) from bulk to iron surface. Toxicity reduction method includes studding of 1-aryl-3-(1-phenylpyrazolo [3,4-b] quinoxalin-3-yl) -2-propenones derivatives or chalcone derivatives concentration, temperatures and rotation speeds effect, which exhibit a strong dependence and supported that the process is diffusion controlled. Thermodynamic parameter ΔG*, ΔH* and ΔS* are given. Mass transfer study of the process was correlated by the equation: Sh = 0.53Sc0.33Re0.38. The order of acceleration was confirmed by quantum calculations

Fouling mitigation strategies for different foulants in membrane distillation

Providing clean water to a rapidly growing population is an issue that is currently getting lots of attention to offer a sustainable solution for water scarcity. Membrane distillation (MD) is one of the latest technologies that provides great potential in water treatment. Even though there is a tremendous amount of research done during the past two decades on membrane distillation, the long-term use of this process is still restricted by membrane fouling. Membrane Fouling can be defined as the accumulation of various materials in the pores or surface of the membrane that affect permeate's quantity and quality. This review highlights the recent observations on various foulants in MD process. Moreover, different fouling mechanisms of inorganic fouling, organic fouling, biological fouling, and colloidal fouling were investigated for better understanding and prevention of membrane fouling. In order to achieve a sustainable MD process, various techniques to mitigate fouling were discussed comprehensively including pre-treatment processes and cleaning methods. The benefits and disadvantages of these approaches have been investigated and reviewed in order to provide an overall understanding of fouling minimization in membrane distillation process. Fouling mitigation strategies have been suggested for different foulants in membrane distillation

Primary Mucinous Carcinoma of Cowper' gland: A Case Report of a Rare Variant

Introduction: Primary carcinomas of the bulbourethral glands (Cowper’s glands) are extremely rare.Presentation of case: Herein, a 57-year-old man was presented by perineal mass for seven years. Physical examination revealed a nontender stony hard perineal mass without signs of inflammation. A urethrogram showed compression of the anterior part of the bulbous urethra. MRI of the mass revealed large perineal multilocular and marginal enhancement. The patient was managed by excision of the mass with safety margin. Histopathological examination of the mass showed remnants of malignant acini floating in pools of mucin which formed about 80% of tumor tissue Immunohistochemical analysis revealed positive reactions of the tumour cells with cytokeratin 20 but negative reactions for PSA, β-catenin and cytokeratin 7.Conclusion: We reported the first case of primary mucinous carcinoma arising in the Cowper’s glands and the 22nd in the literature of Cowper’s gland carcinoma

A multi-band MIMO antenna system with coupled-fed modified rectangular patch elements for 5G systems

A four-port multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna system constructed of four compact dual-band (38/60 GHz) microstrip patch antennas is proposed for 5G mobile applications. Each individual element is optimized to achieve the desired performance of the overall MIMO system. Numerical and experimental investigations are achieved to assess the performance of both the single-element antenna and the four-port MIMO antenna system. It is shown that the simulation results agree with the experimental measurements, and both show good performance of the proposed MIMO antenna system. The bandwidths achieved around 38 GHz and 60 GHz are about 2 GHz and 3.2 GHz, respectively. The performance of the MIMO antenna system including the return loss at each antenna port and the coupling coefficients between the different ports are investigated. The radiation patterns produced when each port is excited alone are shown to be suitable for spatial diversity scheme. They have a high radiation efficiency exhibited by a balloon-like shaped radiation pattern for both the upper and lower frequency bands. It is shown that the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) and the diversity gain (DG) are suitable for performance for the targeted 5G bands.</p

Enhanced thermal performance of closed-cell rigid Polyurethane (PU) foam panels using phase change materials (PCMs)

The consequences of extreme energy consumption are seen both in the energy and environmental crisis. Subsequently, researchers are attempting to find methods to address this issue. Building envelopes and insulation materials are elements that can effectively influence consumption through their passive effect on thermal comfort levels. Strategies pertaining to this that rely on both, advanced and traditional materials, have been able to show good potential. However, the technical complexity of using such strategies can be impeded from the perspective of developing countries. With the aim of creating effective low-cost feasible insulations through using methods of minimal intricacies, the potentials of simple amalgamation of materials are empirically investigated in this study. In this context, closed-cell rigid Polyurethane (PU) foam is used as a base to hold phase change materials (PCMs) to create two PU/PCM panels, of different PCM content. The thermal performance of the panels is experimentally examined and compared, with hot-arid climates prevailing in developing countries in mind. Results revealed that panels containing PCMs were able to perform more effectively in comparison with regular PU foam panels, and, that increasing the amount of PCM has also shown to be advantageous in this regard

Influence of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) on Polyurethane (PU) Foam Fire-Retardancy

Polyurethane (PU) foam is a material that has long been regarded as a good thermal insulator for building purposes due to many advantageous attributes, such as cost and feasibility. Yet, to further develop its performance, many studies have focused on the potential of using the micro-structure of PU foam as an encapsulation for PCMs. Despite the apparent advantageous outcome of this premise, from the perspective of thermal performance, fire-retardancy issues may pose as a threat. PU foam is known for its inherent poor fire-retardation properties. With the addition of PCMs, especially wax-based, it is possible that the fire-retardancy would worsen. This would translate into additional costs in terms of application of treatments to counter the disadvantageous hazardous properties. In this study, an empirical investigation is carried out with the aim of determining whether addition PCMs to PU foam would influence its retardation, and to which extent. In this context, granules of wax-based PCMs are encapsulated in to closed-cell rigid PU foam via a simplified amalgamation method. Two concentrations of PCM content are presented in this paper. Then, fire-retardancy testing is performed on specimens to compare the performance of the created PU/PCM specimens with this of regular PU specimens. The outcome of this empirical investigation further confirms that addition of PCM to PU foam is disadvantageous in terms of fire-retardancy, and that the amount of added PCM is of considerable influence on this

MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT (MDR) ESCHERICHIA COLI ORIGINATED FROM CLINICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES IN ISMAILIA-EGYPT

ABSTRACT The exaggerated use of antibiotics has led to the selection of new strains of bacteria that resist to antibiotics, a situation which is found in the case of Escherichia coli strains. This study was conducted to evaluated the antibiotic resistance profiles of Escherichia coli (E. coli), isolated from different Clinical and Environmental sources in Egypt. A total of 384 samples from human, animal and environmental sources were collected from different locations in Ismailia, Egypt. E. coli isolates (n = 283) were identified by conventional microbiology culture and were phenotypically characterized using biochemical and motility tests. From the overall number of E. coli isolates, 31.4% (89/283) were isolated from stools of humans with diarrhea, 17.3% (49/283) from stools of sheep, cattle and chicken with diarrhea, 16.6% (47/283) from urine of humans with urinary tract infection, 17.3% (49/283) from surfaces water, 6.4% (18/283) from sea-food, 6% (17/283) from processed meat products, 3.9% (11/283) from dairy products and 1.1% (3/283) from poultry products (liver). The antibiotic resistance patterns showed that the isolates carried multi-drug resistance (MDR) phenotype to at least four commonly used antibiotics belonging to different classes: Erythromycin (E), Gentamicin (CN), Cefazolin (CZ), Thiampinicol (TP), Vancomycin (VA), Ciprofloxacin (CIP) and Ampicillin (AM)

Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Suppression of Hepatocarcinorigenesis in Rats: Possible Role of Wnt Signaling

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The present study was conducted to evaluate the tumor suppressive effects of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in an experimental hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model in rats and to investigate the possible role of Wnt signaling in hepato-carcinogenesis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ninety rats were included in the study and were divided equally into: Control group, rats which received MSCs only, rats which received MSCs vehicle only, HCC group induced by diethylnitroseamine (DENA) and CCl_<b>4</b>, rats which received MSCs after HCC induction, rats which received MSCs before HCC induction. Histopathological examination and gene expression of Wnt signaling target genes by real time, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in rat liver tissue, in addition to serum levels of ALT, AST and alpha fetoprotein were performed in all groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Histopathological examination of liver tissue from animals which received DENA-CCl₄only, revealed the presence of anaplastic carcinoma cells and macro-regenerative nodules type II with foci of large and small cell dysplasia. Administration of MSCs into rats after induction of experimental HCC improved the histopathological picture which showed minimal liver cell damage, reversible changes, areas of cell drop out filled with stem cells. Gene expression in rat liver tissue demonstrated that MSCs downregulated <it>β-catenin</it>, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (<it>PCNA</it>), <it>cyclin D </it>and <it>survivin </it>genes expression in liver tissues after HCC induction. Amelioration of the liver status after administration of MSCs has been inferred by the significant decrease of ALT, AST and Alpha fetoprotein serum levels. Administration of MSCs before HCC induction did not show any tumor suppressive or protective effect.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Administration of MSCs in chemically induced HCC has tumor suppressive effects as evidenced by down regulation of Wnt signaling target genes concerned with antiapoptosis, mitogenesis, cell proliferation and cell cycle regulation, with subsequent amelioration of liver histopathological picture and liver function.</p

The cientificWorldJOURNAL Research Article Immunostimulant Effect of Egyptian Propolis in Rabbits

The present experiment was conducted to study the effect of ethanolic extract of Egyptian propolis given alone or in combination with inactivated Pasteurella multocida vaccine on rabbits challenged with a virulent strain of Pasteurella multocida. Fifty-six NewZealand rabbits, 6-8 weeks old and non-vaccinated against pasteurellosis, were randomly divided into eight equal groups. The first group was kept as a control for the experiment. The other groups received different treatments with propolis extract, inactivated vaccine, or both. The experiment continued for seven weeks during which clinical signs, body weight, and mortality rate were monitored, and blood samples were collected weekly for evaluating the leukogram, serum biochemistry, and immune response in all groups of animals. At the end of the seventh week, the animals were subjected to challenge with a virulent strain of Pasteurella multocida. Two weeks later, tissue specimens were collected from different organs for histopathological examination. Results showed that rabbits of the groups treated with both propolis and the vaccine by different routes appeared healthy after challenge. It has been concluded that alcoholic extract of propolis administrated in combination with inactivated Pasteurella multocida vaccine has no adverse effects on the general health conditions and enhances immune response in rabbits

Correlation between Structure, Electrical, and Magnetic Properties of Some Alkali-Oxide Materials

In this chapter, the correlation between structure and electrical properties of Na2MP1.5As0.5O7 (MII = Co and Cu) are treated. The structural study shows that the cobalt and copper isotype materials can be crystallized in the tetragonal and monoclinic systems, respectively. The electrical study using impedance spectroscopy technique showed that these mixed diphosphate diarsenates are fast electrical conductors; however, the cobalt material exhibited more conductive property than the copper compound. In addition, the powder perovskite manganites La0.7M0.2M’0.1MnO3 (M = Sr, Ba and M’ = Na, Ag and K) have been prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction. The structural, magnetic, and magnetocaloric properties of these perovskite manganites compounds were studied extensively by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and magnetic measurements. These samples were crystallized in the distorted rhombohedral system with R3c space group. The variation of magnetization (M) vs. temperature (T) reveals that all compounds exhibit a second-order ferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition in the vicinity of the Curie temperature (TC). A maximum magnetic entropy change, ΔSMMax, of 4.07 J kg−1 K−1 around 345 K was obtained in La0.7Sr0.2Na0.1MnO3 sample upon a magnetic field change of 5 T. The ΔSMMax values of La0.7Ba0.2M’0.1MnO3 are smaller in magnitude compared to La0.7Sr0.2M’0.1MnO3 samples and occur at lower temperatures